Athlete Factors

In this episode, Jeffrey Cunningham joins me to discuss training for the half-marathon and marathon distances. Jeffrey is the head coach of the Bat City Track Club based in Austin, Texas. He has coached multiple U.S. Olympic Trials marathon qualifiers and tutors a host of emerging elite distance runners. A native Texan, Jeffrey ran collegiately at Baylor University and is a licensed attorney.   We talk about his coaching philosophy, how he programs training for his athletes, some of the training variables he prioritizes, as well as some of his "aha!" moments as a coach.   Follow Coach Cunningham on Instagram: @jdcunningham97 Follow Bat City Track Club on Instagram: @batcitytrackclub

In this episode I talk with Sergio Reyes, US Marathon Champion in 2010, 4 x competitor at the US Olympic Trails in the Marathon, part of the US World Championship team in 2011, current US Cross Country Masters champion (2 weeks ago!), NAIA Track and Field 10k National Champion, and marathon wins at Twin Cities in 2010, Flying Pig in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016, SLO Marathon in 2017, and Vermont City in 2019. He has been with the HOKA Aggies Running Club since returning home to southern California after college at Cedarville University, which is also where I ran cross country and track & field. We discuss his recent win at the US Cross Country Masters Championship, how his training has changed and how it has stayed the same over the years, and the secret to staying elite for so long. Follow Sergio and his teammates on Instagram: @aggiesrunning

In this episode, Matt Fox, founder of Sweat Elite, joins me to discuss the incredible popularity of his YouTube channel, Sweat Elite - Training Sessions, which gives viewers an up-close-and-personal perspective of elite endurance athletes as they train. Viewers get vicarious interaction with the best endurance athletes in the world in a way that has rarely been experienced. We discuss Matt's background in running, his current training/racing, as well as some of the major lessons he's learned from spending time with athletes like Paul Chelimo, Sara Hall, Andy Buchart, Nell Rojas, Jake Robertson, Mo Katir, Julien Waders, Joe Klecker, Olli Hoare, NAZ Elite, NAU Track Team, Very Nice Track Club, Tinman Elite, Jacob Thomson, and Gwen Jorgensen, to name a few. Watch and Subscribe to Sweat Elite - Training Session here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFYpwqeNXx7M9xosFjdm5kQ/featured   Follow Sweat Elite on Instagram: @sweatelite   Follow Matt Fox on Instagram: @mattinglisfox

In this episode, I chat with Jacob Thomson, a professional runner with Under Armour, living and training in Flagstaff, Arizona. He also runs Thomson Training, a coaching service catering to all ages and levels of running. Jacob recently competed in the Chicago Marathon, finishing 12th place with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 49 seconds. He also competed in the 2021 US Olympic Trials 10k. His PR's include: 3:57 (mile), 7:50 (3k), 13:28 (5k), 27:57 (10k), and 2:15:49 (marathon).   We discuss his current training, his preparation for the Olympic Trials earlier this year, his preparation for the Chicago Marathon and being featured on the Sweat Elite YouTube channel, and how training now compares and contrasts to his training in high school and college. We also cover his coaching philosophy, how he programs training, and how he started Thomson Training.   Follow Jacob on Instagram: @jtcougars8 Follow Thomson Training on Instagram: @runthomsontraining Find Thomson Training on the web: https://www.thomsontraining.run

In this episode, Coach Jay returns to discuss a recent post covering the most important aspects of Sports Nutrition. We cover where general health and wellness fit in, and discuss whether dietary fat has any place in the context of "sport performance." He also explains how peri-nutrition (nutrition before, during, and after training or competition) fits into an athlete's priorities, and how following the hierarchy that he provides will allow any athlete to maximize both training and recovery, and therefore get closer and closer to full athletic potential and performance.   Follow Coach Jay on Instagram: @athleatcoach Find Coach Jay online: https://athleatcoach.com/en/athleatcoach-en/

In this episode, I discuss strategies that I use and recommend to runners and endurance athletes to better deal with the physical and mental pain and discomfort of the pace and distance of training and racing. I cover what I like to call "macro chunking" and "micro chunking," which I use to both plan out my racing strategy as well as maximize my training volume and intensity.

In this episode, I continue the series covering my first book, Hormonal Nutrition. This episode covers the hormone ghrelin, and goes into what it does in the body and how the body perceives hunger signals. I also cover what activities, foods, and supplements have an affect on ghrelin levels and hunger signaling, as well as how chronic dieting can have an impact in the short-term and long-term when it comes to ghrelin levels.   Get your copy of Hormonal Nutrition here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1657097463?pf_rd_r=M258J1FP5WCYWBBG6C7D&pf_rd_p=8fe9b1d0-f378-4356-8bb8-cada7525eadd&pd_rd_r=91d0f329-4db3-426b-b9f2-9b151b779a3b&pd_rd_w=w7vZ8&pd_rd_wg=ckc8Z&ref_=pd_gw_unk

  In this episode, I talk with Tom Rapp, boys CC and Track coach at Mason High School in Ohio. We discuss his coaching philosophy, the training variables that he prioritizes with high school athletes, the importance of team culture, and some things he has learned along the way that contribute to individual and team success.   Originally from Trotwood Ohio, Tom was a State Champion in cross country and in the one mile run. He attended Penn State University where he attained All-American honors and captained the team. He worked for Athletes in Action for 23 years, serving in various capacities including development of their track and field department. Tom was recently named Cross Country "Coach of the year" and has 2 State Team titles. Tom is a Spanish teacher at Mason High School. He is married to Mary, who was also an All-American track athlete at Penn State.   Follow Tom on Twitter: @TomRapp16 Follow the Mason Teams: http://www.runmason.com

In this episode, I continue the series covering my first book, Hormonal Nutrition. This episode covers the hormone leptin, and goes into what it does in the body, how body fat percentage and fat mass affects it, as well as how it correlates to insulin sensitivity. I also cover what activities, foods, and supplements have an affect on leptin levels and sensitivity, as well as how caloric balance plays a role in leptin function.   Get your copy of Hormonal Nutrition here: https://www.amazon.com/Hormonal-Nutrition-Kevin-Russell-Kuhn/dp/1657097463/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1631277287&sr=8-1

In this episode, I continue the series covering my first book, Hormonal Nutrition. This episode covers the hormone adiponectin, and goes into what it does in the body, how body fat percentage and fat mass affects it, as well as how it correlates to fat-free mass and fat-loss. I also cover what activities/lifestyle factors, foods, and supplements have an affect on adiponectin levels and adiponectin function.   Get your copy of Hormonal Nutrition here: https://www.amazon.com/Hormonal-Nutrition-Kevin-Russell-Kuhn/dp/1657097463/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1631277287&sr=8-1